Apparatus for cleaning and locating clogged hypodermic needles



Dec. 19, 1961 J, ROSE 3,013,570

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING AND LOCATING CLOGGED HYPODERMIC NEEDLES Filed Sept. 18, 1959 33 Qnh m 32 2 IIIIII 1?I/a5 I ll 22 30 29k. (IO

H 5 o 52 INVENTOR Joy Rose FIG.4. 37 BY \J i- ATTORNEY United tates Patent f 3,013,570 APPARATUS FQR CLEANING AND LOCATING CLOGGED HYPODERMIC NEEDLES Jay- Rose, 348 W. 23rd 3t New York, N.Y. Filed Sept. 18, 1959, Ser. No. 846,857 4 Claims. (Ci. 134-171) This invention relates to an apparatus for multiple fluid pressure cleaning of hypodermic needles and for simultaneously locating clogged needles. In my prior Patents 2,704,266, 2,818,979 and 2,902,169, and my application Serial No. 555,654, now abandoned there is disclosed a manner of handling hypodermic needles in hospitals for cleaning needle supporting bars for supporting the needles in multiple numbers, and also fortransferring the needles from one location, to another and to a cleaning and sterilizing station.

The present invention is in continuation of the procedures and apparatus set forth in these patents and application and to which there is supplied an apparatus for the multiple cleaning of hypodermic needles under fluid pressure and by which the needles that are clogged will be quickly detected.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide an apparatus used in the carrying into elfect of the above procedure by which a multiple number of hypodermic needles carried by the needle supporting bars thereof can be placed under fluid pressure at a time.

It is another object of the invention to provide in an apparatus for cleaning a multiple number of hypodermic needles simple means by which needles that are clogged and do not submit to the treatment can be readily singled out, marked or tagged for easy identification for removal from the cleared needles.

It is still another object of the invention to provide in a manifold cleaning apparatus for hypodermic needles, a suitable holding structure for supporting the needle supporting bars bearing a row of the needles with their ice to FIG. 2 of a modified form of the invention that em pl'o'ysa manifold without spouts and has a perforated gasket strip running along-the bottom of the manifold and of modified needles held in line by being interlocked hubs so positioned and retained that the multiple openings or spouts of a manifold used for the cleaning can be readily and quickly placed in alignment with the respective needle hubs in a singular manner.

It is a further object of the invention to provide hypodermic needles with means on themselves by which upon being disposed in a suitable needle supporting bar, they will be placed into interlocking engagement with each other and held'in line for adaptation with the multiple openings of the manifold and wherein this alignment of the manifold openings and needle hubs can be assisted by cooperating means between the holding structure and the manifold so that upon the manifold being placed over the needles the openings of the manifold will automatically come into alignment with the open needle hubs.

Other objects of the invention are to provide an apparatus for cleaning and the locating of clogged hypoderm c needles, which, having the above objects in mind and in addition to falling into the procedure used in the hospitals in accordance with the above patents and application, is of simple construction, has a minimum number of parts, inexpensive to manufacture and assemble, durable, sanitary. of pleasing appearance, compact, effective and efficient in use.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing. in which FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the holder with a needle supporting bar containing a pluralitv of hypodermic needles in place thereon, and the manifold secured thereover by removable clamps,

FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical sect onal view of the apparatus as viewed on line 2-2 of FIG. 1 and showing with one another, the view being taken generally on line 3-3 of FIG. 4 and looking upon a wire indicating and;

handling clip for the individual needle,

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view i'n-plan of a plurality of interlocked hypodermic needles and looking in plan upon the wire indicating and handling wire clip expanded upon one of the needles as viewed generally on line 4-4 of FIG. 3,

FIG. 5 is a plan view of unexpanded wire indicating and handling clip free of the needle,

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary transverse sectional .view in plan similar to FIG. 4 and of needles interlocked slightly difierently, and a i FIG. 7 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view as may be viewed generally on line 6'-6 of FIG. 1 showing upstanding projections on the holder extending into recesses in the manifold providing thereby means on the holder for aligning the manifold openings with the needle hubs.

Referring now particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, 10 .represents a rack or holding structure for removably supporting a hypodermic needle supporting bar 11 of channel section with a plurality of hypodermic needles 12 depend-' ing through openings or holes 13 therein equally spaced and running along the bottom thereof. Each of the hypodermicneedles have opposing side faces 14' and 15 lying parallel to the sides of the needle supporting bar and engageable therewith to prevent the hypodermic needle from rotating in the supporting bar. A hub opening 16 is provided in the top of the needle and surrounded by a fiange 17 with which individual gaskets 18 on each small spout or nozzle 19 of a manifold pipe 20 engage. This manifold pipe 20 is closed at one end by a plug 21 and at the other end is a pipe extension 22 on which a flexible hose 23 is fitted and through which water, detergent or/and other suitable fluid is passed to the manifold.

The holder 10 has a base frame 24 of rectangular shape with transverse angle pieces 25 and 26 at the ends'thereof and upwardly from which extends a U-shaped member 27 serving as a handle for the rack or holder with depending legs 28 and 29 welded or secured respectively intermediate the length of and to the respective transverse angle pieces 25 and 26. On the respective depending legs 28 and 29 of the U-shaped handle member 27 elevated well above the base frame 24 are laterally-extend, ing brackets 30 and 31 having respectively upstanding projections 32 and 33, FIGS. 1 and 7, adapted to be respectively extended through slots 59 in the ends of the needle supporting bar 11 to hold the bar 11 upon the holder 10 and against lateral and longitudinal displace. ment therefrom. The placing of the bar with the needles is effected while grasping the ends of the needle supporting bar between the fingers of the two hands so that the man fold 20 and the small spout 19 thereof can be extended over and into the openings 16 of the needle hubs upon the bar being transferred from collecting holders in the c'eaning procedure. The b rs with the cleaned needles will be lifted while grasp n them in this or anv suitable manner from the holder 10 soi that another barcan be placed thereon to have its needles cleaned.

' The manifold 20 is clamped in place over" the hypode mic needles bv C-clamps 34 having a thin lower end 35 that is extended under the needle-sup orting bar 11 and be ween the needles for engagement with the underface of the bar. A thumb clamping screw 36 at the up- Patented Dec.- 19,1961.

per end of the clamp 34 as tightened draws the needles tightly up against the sealing gaskets 18 and the manifold 20 to hold the needles in tight sealing engagement with the manifold and to prevent the leakage of the fluid delivered under pressure to the manifold to unclog and clean the needles with the manifold in place. Streams of the cleaning fluid will be observed from the needle ends and if any of the needles fail to deliver such stream a U-shaped spring wire clip 37 is attached to the clogged needle, FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, that has an enlargement 38 in one leg thereof so that the round upper extension of the needle hub can be readily accommodated while at the same time affording sufficient pressure to grip the needle hub. This clip 37 has outwardly turned ends 39 and 40 between which the needle hub is easily passed and its closed end 41 serves as a handle. This spring wire clip 37 is placed upon the hub of the needle just under the flange 17 so that upon removing the manifold, the individual needle which is clogged can be lifted out of the bar by the clip 37 for individual treatment with a stiletto or other suitable means used for the clearing of hypodermic needles.

In order to simplify the construction of the manifold, there has been provided according to FIGS. 3 and 4, a manifold 43, without the spouts or nozzles and which has a series of Openings 44 in the bottom thereof along a flat bottom surface 45 to which there is adhered a continuous gasket sealing strip 46 having holes 47 in registry, respectively with the holes 44 of the manifold 43.

Specially designed needles 48 while having flat sides 49 and 50 to hold them against rotation in the openings of the needle-supporting bar 11 of channel shape section also have their adjacent sides provided with interlocking tongues 51 and grooves 52 extending vertically intermediate the width of the needle hub for needle supporting bars not of channel shape section and serving thereby to interlock all of the hypodermic needles against tilting and rotational displacement relative to each other and to insure the proper locating and registry of openings 53 with the openings 47 of the gasket sealing strip 46. The needle supporting bars 11 are then secured to the manifold 43 by the same C-clamps 34.

In FIG. 6, there is shown a needle-supporting bar 11 and hypodermic needles 54 likewise adapted to be interlocked with one another and which have opposing sides 55 and 56 engageable with the sides of the channel to prevent turning and which have vertically-extending shoulders 57 and 58 on respective ends of the hubs that cooperate with the adjacent hubs to hold the needles interlocked with one another and adapted for easy alignment with the openings 47 in the gasket strip 46 of the manifold.

A slot 59 is provided in each end of the supporting bar 11 in FIGS. 4, 6 and 7. These slots are elongated and extend transversely to receive upstanding projections 32 and 33 of the laterally-extending brackets 30 and 31 on the holder frame 10. The needle supporting bars are held between the fingers of the hand and lowered over the projections 32 and 33. These projections 32 and 33 are preferably of an extended length as shown in FIG. 7 and will extend upwardly from the brackets 30 and 31 a sufficient distance so that its end will enter a slot 60 in the bottom of the manifold 43. With the needles in the channel and interlocked with one another and with the manifold 43, being aligned with the projections 32 and 33 the perforated sealing strip 46 can be readily aligned with the needle openings as the manifold 43 is placed over the upper ends of the upstanding projections 32 and 33 and without axial adjustment of the manifold being necessary.

It should now be apparent thatthere has been pro vided apparatus which will readily fit into the procedure of handling hypodermic needles systematically in mass as set forth in the above patents and by which a multiple number of these needles can be cleaned at one time. It will be further apparent that the manifold and the needles are so constructed that easy registry of the openings in the manifold is made with the hub openings and that further with use of the projections on the holder the manifold can be immediately placed into alignment by merely placing the manifold upon the holder. It will also be apparent that there has been provided accurate means for locating and identifying the clogged needles needing individual treatment and wherein this means not only may indicate that the needle is clogged but also serves as means for separately handling the needle to remove it from the channel bar and for special individual treatment.

While various changes may be made in the detailed construction, it shall be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for cleaning and locating clogged hypodermic needles with enlarged hubs of substantially horizontally square cross-section comprising a holder structure having elevated sides of predetermined height, a needle supporting bar having a length to span the space between the elevated sides of the holder and removably supported thereon, said needle bar having spaced openings for receiving the needles at distances so that their hubs engage one another and opposing upstanding sides of the needle bar for maintaining the needles in a row in their upright positions and avoiding lateral tilting of the needles, a manifold having longitudinally aligned openings along one side thereof, said manifold openings being in spaced relation to one another so as to be respectively registered with the hubs of the needles when disposed in the needle supporting bar and when the manifold is brought adjacent to the hubs of the needles, said manifold being adapted for the attachment thereto of a hose so that cleaning fluid from a faucet or other source when flowing through said hose will stream through the openings in the manifold and when said manifold openings are registered with the hubs of said needles and will flow through said needles to simultaneously clean the same and means for releasably clamping said needle support bar and said manifold together to hold the needles in sealing engagement with the manifold and to prevent leakage outwardly from between the needle hubs and the manifold, whereby said needles are maintained in a row against longitudinal and lateral displacement from one another and fluid under pressure from the manifold will be forced through all the needles to clean the same.

2. An apparatus for cleaning and locating clogged hypodermic needles as defined in claim 1, and sealing gasket means disposed between the hubs of the needles and the manifold about the openings thereof.

3. An apparatus for cleaning and locating clogged hypodermic needles as defined in claim 2, and said manifold having spouts extending respectively from the openings thereof and adapted to respectively enter the needle hubs, and said sealing means surrounding said spouts and engageable with the flanged upper ends of the needles.

4. An apparatus for cleaning and locating clogged hypodermic needles as defined in claim 1, and means on the holder extending between the elevated sides of the holder structure and the manifold for positioning the needle bar and the manifold over the needles to align the manifold openings with the needle hub openings as the manifold is placed upon the holder structure.

(References on following page) References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS McCay Feb. 1, 1916 Colby July 5, 1932 5 Holderith Jan. 27, 1953 6 Casady Oct. 13, 1953 Price Nov. 3, 1953 Cozzoli Mar. 9, 1954 Rose Mar. 15, 1955 Rose Jan. 7, 1958 

